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LDS Near Death Experiences

LDS Near Death Experiences

There was a period in my life that I was quite compelled by near death experiences (NDE), in fact I found that I wanted to read every related book on the subject. I first started with Betty J. Eadie and 'Embraced by the Light', it was my understanding that her near death experience brought her to eventually accept the teachings of the Church. However, members became excited with her book and started to question certain accounts she made with basic LDS doctrine for which the Brethren had to issue a statement. I then read Moody's 'Life After Life', (Non-LDS), but nevertheless, actual accounts of NDEs from various persons of varying faiths and backgrounds, most of them had something in common - a tunnel, a light, meeting loved ones, etc. A must read in my mind, because the book gives it from a medical standpoint to, something not done before. Recently, I felt the urge to get involve in this study once again and have thus started this thread with the hope of gaining more enlightenment on the subject.

The following link I have added as a reference. It does not seem to contain anything anti. The author seeks to compare the First Vision with NDE and the similarities. It is good reading, and you may get some fruit out of it.

Comparing the NDE and the First Vision suggests the following common elements:

* (1) Initial darkness or void
* (2) Entry into a brilliant light
* (3) Encountering a being or beings of Light
* (4) Life review or forgiveness of sins
* (5) Giving of information or answers to questions
* (6) Possible prophetic vision
* (7) Awareness of returning to body
* (8) Inability to describe what was seen
* (9) Rejection of story or reluctance to tell it to others.

Source 8

Here is a link to an LDS account: Heber Q. Hale, President of the Boise Stake

I passed but a short distance from my body through a film into the world of spirits. This was my first experience after going to sleep. I seemed to realize that I had passed through the change called "Death," and I so referred to it in my conversation with the immortal beings with whom I immediately came in contact. I readily observed their displeasure at our use of the word death and the fear which we attach to it. They use there another word in referring to the transition from mortality to immortality, which word I don't recall, and I can only approach its meaning and the impression which was left upon my mind by calling it "The new birth.

Source 2

Experiences Death LDS

I have also been very interested in NDEs. I have some books, including Life Everlasting by Duane Crowther, and Spirit World Manifestations by Joseph Heinerman. These two books are LDS, and contain many accounts of LDS who have experienced various types of experiences including NDEs.

Personally, I fully "embraced" Betty Eadie's book for a time. Then we moved to Utah, and I found some books that refuted it, and I turned against it as strongly as I originally believed it. Now, with a little more experience and study, I regard it similar to the Apocrypha and psuedipigrapha - that is, it probably contains a lot of truth, but how it is packaged makes it a bit difficult to figure out what is truth and what is error.

One of the best books containing an individual's experience with an NDE is Return from Tomorrow by George Ritchie. You can find out a bit more about him here.

There is a good website devoted to study of NDEs, from various religious perspectives. I find it very interesting, although I haven't read all that many of the experiences.

Source 7

LDS Near Death Experiences Studies Doctrine Mormon

Thanks for your thoughts Nighthawk. I followed that link you gave me for Ritchie and obviously because of my point of presence I am not going to wait to search for that book, so I looked over the net and found great excerpts here. One part in particular I like is this:

Unless . . . Unless there was no "alone" in this realm of disembodied spirits. No private corners in a universe where there were no walls. No place that was not inhabited by other beings to whom one was totally exposed at all times. What was it going to be like, I thought with a sudden panic, to live forever where my most private thoughts were not private at all? No disguising them, no covering them up, no way to pretend I was anything but what I actually was. How unbearable. Unless of course everyone around me had the same kind of thoughts. . . . Unless there was a kind of consolation in finding others as loathsome as one's self, even if all we could do was hurl our venom at each other.

I believe hell is like that. I am interested in LDS accounts though, do you know of any online that I can read? One thing that is interesting, I have never read where the person in the NDE has ever described what they were wearing during the separation, have you?

Experiences Death LDS

I've always felt they are pretty amazing, but have never studied them. When my daughter was a baby, the woman who cared for her while I worked told me about her granddaughter's NDE when she had some sort of surgery (I believe it was a liver transplant, but I could be wrong). The little girl was very young when it happened, and no one even knew that it *had* happened until she was old enough to talk. They knew that she had experienced a "small period of death" on the operating table, but nothing more than that.

The family moved into a new house with an open stairway and a loft above. When the girl went up there and looked down, she was very excited and said (I'm paraphrasing here, but this is close to how it was related to me by her grandmother): "This is how it was! I was way up here, and them doctors was way down there with my little body, and Jesus came and took my hand and we walked in the pretty flowers. He said I could stay there or come back and I said I want to stay with my mommy. And there I was!"

Incidentally, she never had any further health problems afterwards. I've lost track of that family now, but what a miracle.

Roz

Experiences Death LDS

I posted this on the Are You Afraid to Die thread. My father was near death and in fact did die, so he was not able to come back and tell us anything.

My father passed away four years ago at the age of 76. I don't think he was ready. His parents both lived into their late 90's and I think he assumed he would too. He certainly did not want to go and fought death off for a while. A day or so before he passed away, he learned something that he tried to share with us. For a while, it appeared he was already halfway gone. He was seeing and speaking to relatives on both sides. He saw his parents, my brother who died in infancy and others. He knew it was time to join them but he kept holding back because of all the close family he was leaving. Somehow, it was communicated to him that time passes differently on the other side of the veil. Even though he was leaving us, perhaps for 40 or 50 years by our way of reckoning, it would seem to him as only an instant and we would all be together again.

I don't fully understand this but I guess we all will understand much more some day.

LDS Near Death Experiences

I don't, at the moment, know of any LDS experiences online. I think I have seen some, but can't remember where.

The link I posted earlier, in the Christian NDE section, does have some experiences where people talk about the clothes they wear. There is also at least one person who started into hell, after a suicide (that they eventually survived). This experience brings up greater questions.

LDS Death Experiences

I did find one testimony from a former LDS member who had a NDE and left the Church because of it (in fact he claims three NDEs) which in my mind is silly because his interpretation is there is no organized religion or ways to get to God. Of course this is foolishness and he failed to keep in mind that he was just viewing the 'demo' version of the full scale program. He did say that when he looked at himself he looked like the LDS picture of the Angels pointing to Heaven:

The other thing about these visions I recognize is that many use their schooled religion as an interpretation of what they see. So for a Christian the 'Light' seen is Jesus, for the Hindu it may be 'Vishnu', etc.

One thing I am interested in is how the person retains so much details from their experience or are they blending experience with a need to display good descriptive prose?

LDS Death Experiences Mormon Doctrine Studies

Interesting topic. I found this link of what I believe is an LDS member with her own experience of her NDE.

Source 5

This guy became an LDS member after his NDE

Source 6

A little girl's NDE, her mom is an LDS member and the girl says she met Jesus and Heavenly Father.

Source 5